A serial north-east fraudster who lied about her husband dying has launched a bid to get out of jail early – just three weeks into her nine month sentence.
Cheryl Mitchell was locked up at the beginning of the month for illegally claiming more than £10,000 in benefits from Aberdeenshire Council and the Department of Work and Pensions.
The compulsive liar fabricated a tragic tale, claiming she was a struggling single mum with two children to support.
But the 33-year-old was really living with her husband David who was supporting her and her family financially.
When officials discovered her lies – which also included telling prison staff her husband was dying – Mitchell concocted several excuses to try to avoid personally appearing in court.
However she was eventually jailed for nine months.
Yesterday Mitchell appeared back in the dock at the city’s sheriff court and admitted a new charge of assaulting her ex while in the Jury’s Inn, Aberdeen.
The court heard that the pair had agreed to meet at the hotel on Guild Street to try to talk through issues in their relationship.
But when her former partner, David Brown, attempted to leave her she clamped her jaws down on his arm to his injury.
Representing the serial offender, solicitor Stuart Murray urged Sheriff James Tierney to deal with his client without the need for reports.
He said she had applied to the prison’s parole board for early release, however said they could not deal with her application until all her outstanding cases had been dealt with.
Mr Murray said Mitchell hoped to be allowed to leave HMP Grampian and return home very soon while on a tag to monitor her daily movements.
Sheriff Tierney agreed it was in the best interests to draw a line under the matter and admonished her for the assault.
Mitchell wept and thanked the sheriff as she was led back to the cells in handcuffs.
During the two-year history of her fraud case, Mitchell claimed she could not attend for trial because she was working offshore, had been in a car crash – or was away on holiday.
No fewer than four solicitors resigned from acting for her.
It was only when a sheriff discovered a car crash she claimed had happened the night before her scheduled court appearance had actually happened three weeks earlier that he granted a warrant for her arrest.